There are all types of Apartment buildings out there. Some tower overhead and almost look like they're touching the sky. Others are squat, brick structures with just a few units.

During an apartment search, you can prioritize your ideal apartment building just as easily as you look for amenities within the actual apartment. You may want big. You may want small. You may prefer something in between.

That's when you start looking for a mid-rise apartment.

What is a mid-rise apartment?

The definition of a mid-rise apartment is all about counting floors. Most mid-rise buildings have at least five floors, but no more than 12. Buildings with fewer floors are classified as low-rise apartments and those with more are high-rises. Most cities provide a combination of all three for eager apartment hunters.

The size of a mid-rise typically means you'll get an elevator, along with many amenities you'd find in larger buildings. They're often tall enough for units to have balconies and may also include common areas and green spaces on the ground floor.

You'll often find the most mid-rises in urban areas that don't allow tall, high-rise apartment buildings. However, they're easy to spot in almost any U.S. city.

Why should you live in a mid-rise apartment?

Mid-rise apartments have benefits you won't find in both shorter and taller buildings. This is because they usually combine the best of both worlds.

A room with a view

While not towering up into the sky, a mid-rise apartment does offer superior views to a low-rise building. The extra floors provide the potential for better and wider lookouts into the surrounding area. This is especially nice if your neighborhood has lots of trees or is just close enough to water or another scenic spot to catch a glimpse from the higher floors.

Less congestion at the elevator

Mid-rise apartments mean fewer tenants. With fewer floors and fewer people, you'll have shorter, less crowded trips up and down the elevator during peak times. You'll also have less of a wait when you push that call button.

Extra privacy

This perk of fewer tenants that a mid-rise apartment offers also applies to the amount of privacy you get as a resident. With fewer units in total, you'll have more privacy. There won't be a barrage of people flooding in and out each day, potentially going past your front door. There are also fewer neighbors with prying eyes.

The OK to take the stairs

High-rise buildings just have too many floors to ever really take the stairs. With a mid-rise apartment, you can live on the upper floors and still use the stairs when it's convenient. Based on how full your hands are or what shoes you're wearing, having the option to take the stairs could mean one less trip to the gym to get a great workout.

A combination of amenities

Even as smaller buildings, mid-rise apartments can still contain many of the amenities you look for in a home. This means balconies and ground-level green space. It can also include a pool, gym, laundry room and other common areas. Your building may even be big enough to have its own parking structure, so you're not stuck hunting for a spot on the street.

The best floors to live on in a mid-rise apartment

Being up to 12 stories tall, a mid-rise apartment may still have you asking, “Which floor is the best?" Each level of the building has its own positive factors that may recommend it to you. It all depends on your own personal preferences.

Being on the bottom

In a smaller mid-rise, the bottom floor is really just the garden level of the building. Those buildings with a few more levels may mean the bottom consists of 1-3 stories. Regardless, living on the bottom floors provide:

• Easy access both into and out of the building
• A quicker trip to ground-floor amenities like the laundry room, pool and any common outdoor space
• The ability to take the stairs all the time rather than dealing with the elevator

You also don't have to worry about annoying a neighbor below you should you want to move furniture around, invite friends over or just tend to walk heavily.

Making it in the middle

The number of middle floors in a mid-rise building can vary based on the height of the structure, but living in the middle does have its positives, including:

• Better insulation, since you've got the floors above and below you helping maintain consistent temperatures
• Fewer stairs to climb, if you decide not to take the elevator
• Consistent utility bills that are often lower than the other sections of the apartment building

In older buildings especially, the middle floors are always the best insulated. They'll stay cooler in the summer since the heat rises and warmer in the winter since they're not sitting on the cold ground. They also benefit from the units above and below running their heat and AC units at higher rates to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Getting together at the top

It's no secret that the top floors of any apartment building are always considered the best. It's why we have penthouses. This may be because of the potential for unique features like:

• Expansive views
• Vaulted ceilings
• Bigger windows
• More natural light

Top floors are also less noisy and more private. You don't have to worry about hearing anything from the person living above you, because there isn't one. Units up high are also less susceptible to pests and theft.

How to find a mid-rise apartment

If this is all beginning to sound appealing to you, get a jump start on finding mid-rise apartments for rent in your area. They may offer the perfect combination of size, location and amenities for your next home.